Dec 1, 2007 9:13 am US/Central
Holiday Cookies A Master Chef's Way
Hot Chocolate, 1747 N. Damen Ave., (773) 489-1747
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The holiday season is almost here, and that means cookies are going into ovens around the world.
In this edition of Table for 2, CBS 2's Vince Gerasole got cooking with a master Chicago baker, who has some tips on how to bake your own cookies.
Chef Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate restaurant in the Wicker Park-Bucktown neighborhood says people whose holiday cookies turn out half-baked should not leave the kitchen with their confidence battered.
"They should not make a big deal about it and just have a really good time, because that's what the holidays are all about," Segal said.
When it comes to flour power, Segal has earned a national reputation as a real sweet tart. The bustling kitchen at Hot Chocolate turns out heavenly dessert creations.
Her first piece of advice is to
keep it simple.
Buttery dough can turn tragically soft in the warmth of our hands. A cold preparation surface helps it stay together, and at home, Segal suggests we fill a garbage bag with ice.
"Then you can put the garbage bag with ice on your table an hour before you're ready to go, and you'll have a cold surface," Segal said.
Adjust your bake time and you can create cookies that are either incredibly crisp or lusciously chewy.
"When you bake it chewier you want to bake it a little bit less. You still want to bake it all the way through," Segal said. "If you want to bake it crispier you probably want to make sure it's probably a little golden around the edges."
Segal helped Vince roll together a line of powdery snowmen. They are really three sizes of pecan nutballs tossed in powdered sugar and then held together by a dollop of frosting. A fine line of chocolate gives them some personality.
Segal's Christmas trees are also a visual sensation. Segal presses out shortbread dough flavored with pistachios.
"My secret is salted nuts," Segal said. "It just adds a little heightened flavor and makes it more interesting."
Segal layers the dough in a loaf pan with a sweet mortar of homemade raspberry preserves. She next cuts the raw loaf into thin slices, then diagonally cuts out the trees. After baking, it turns your table into a holiday wonderland, and a wintry scene that's good enough to eat.
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